Allen Ryant, 47, gutted the homes and created an elaborate irrigation, lighting and air-filtration system to feed the 195 plants, which were worth between $500,000 and $1 million, sheriff's spokesman Elliot Cohen said.

When Ryant showed up nearby Friday morning, he was arrested on charges of cultivation of marijuana and trafficking in marijuana over 25 pounds. Detectives had been watching him since receiving a tip about a week ago, Cohen said.

Ryant led detectives to a second rental house about six blocks away.

"What we found inside has been described by investigators as one of the most sophisticated pot operations they'd ever seen," Cohen said.

Each plant had an individual irrigation trough, and the lights were hooked to timers and a pulley system, Cohen said. That way, they could be raised as the plants grew, he said. Ryant also rewired the homes to avoid detection by Florida Power & Light.